Gary Meers, Ed.D.

About me

I am an Education Advisor/Consultant for MaxKnowledge. I write courses that assist in the professional development of career college instructors. These courses range in content from the introductory level to advanced instructional development. I started my teaching career as an instructional technology teacher on the high school level, completed graduate school and then moved into higher education. I spent many years in the area of teacher training at the University of Nebraska. While at the University of Nebraska I stared working with career college instructors to improve their instructional delivery skills. As a result of these experiences I have been a consultant to career colleges throughout the United States and a number of foreign countries.

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Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Instructor Enthusiasm

Brian, I am always amazed when I encounter an instructor that is boring and dull in the classroom and then complains the students aren't engaged. You are right on about needing to bring passion for the field and enthusiasm for sharing your content with your students. This is what teaching should be about. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Feeling Accepted Helps with Success

Brian, Good point. They need to feel comfortable and accepted. If they don't chances are good they will not stay in the class. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Strategies for Keeping Students Engaged in Learning

Teresa, That is tough. I would much rather have a class of 70, which I currently have than one student. When I have low enrollment classes (2-3 students) I set the class up in a seminar format and we meet to discuss course content based upon individual work that has been completed. Since you teach a technical program this makes the effort harder in that you need to share and he/she needs to acquire certain critical content. You may want to have the student read the material and then have a class session where he/she demonstrates the technical aspects of… >>>

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Sharing Comprehensive and Clear Course Requirements

Hans, To anything less is unfair to our students. Your point is well made and we need to remember it as we develop our syllabus, goals and objectives. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Accommodating Learner Preferences

Monica, I am a big fan of using pretesting as well. I get such valuable information from the tests and as a result I am able to more accurately target my content to that current group of students. As a result there is a higher level of satisfaction on the part of the students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Making a Positive First Impression

Monica, Sharing your career experience also helps the students to see you as a real person that has earned her living doing what you are teaching. This is a valuable bit of information for the students to have as they look forward to taking the course. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Using a Well-prepared Syllabus

Monica, Yes it does and that is why it has to be well prepared. This is the most important communication document we share with our students. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Emily, Be flexible just as you mention and you will develop into an instructor of merit. Keep up the good work. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Your Instructional Style

Monica, You have a good professional development plan set for yourself. Keep up your efforts as I know they pay off in more effective and efficient instructor. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Gary Meers, Ed.D.

Discussion Comment

Reasoning as a Resource

Chrissy, From a cognition standpoint your are right on. There needs to be perceived value if the learner is going to continue to be engaged. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.

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